July 31st 2024.
The highly anticipated Critical Race Theory Summer School is back for its fifth annual event in Nashville, and this year, it's paying homage to the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer. As always, the CRT Summer School aims to promote the crucial role of critical race theory in education. This year's theme, "Freedom Summer 2024: No U-Turn on Racial Justice," is a tribute to Mississippi's 1964 Black voter registration project.
The program kicked off on July 28 with a thought-provoking plenary titled "Tip of the Spear: Tennessee on the Frontlines of the War on Woke." The discussion delved into the state's place in the ongoing discourse surrounding critical race theory. The panel featured notable speakers such as State Representative Justin Jones, author and activist Tim Wise, renowned scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, and civil rights activist and Freedom Rider Bernard Lafayette.
The mission of the CRT Summer School is more pertinent than ever as anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion legislation, book bans, and attacks on critical race theory continue to spread across the nation. Throughout the week-long event, participants will have the opportunity to attend various plenaries and intensives aimed at sparking meaningful conversations and strategies to ensure the continued teaching of Black history in schools.
The intensives will kick off with a conversation led by Crenshaw on Intersectionality and the #SayHerName Movement. Following that, acclaimed author and professor Michael Eric Dyson will discuss the Genealogies of Anti-Blackness. The program will also include discussions on American democracy and the importance of defending diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In a press release, Crenshaw, who is also the executive director of the African American Policy Forum, stated, "Color blindness has been weaponized to prevent any real education about systemic racism, which is directly connected to attacks on voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and women's reproductive freedom. That's why anti-racism efforts must be intersectional, just like democracy must be multiracial. Racism is the Achilles heel of our democracy, a deep-rooted weakness used to wage a war against 'wokeness,' or what many of us call education and advocacy. This election is crucial, and our democracy is at stake."
She continued, "This year's Critical Race Theory Summer School aims to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and tools to confront systemic racism and advocate for transformative change in their communities."
Moreover, the plenaries will continue to focus on organizing, resistance, and survival against the ongoing anti-CRT discourse. From "Fight the Power: Using History to Find the Courage to Resist We Are the Majority!" to "How to Fight the Autocratic Takeover of Our Public Institutions," advocates will encourage attendees to stand up and fight for this pivotal issue.
All discussions will be available to stream or attend in person until August 2, ensuring that the critical conversations and strategies sparked by the CRT Summer School reach a wider audience and continue to make a meaningful impact.
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